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ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Jayne L’Amour will travel to the US to undergo life-changing surgery next month to correct her rare condition, sliding rib syndrome.
It started with a sharp pain while exercising. Every day in the two years since then has been agony for Jayne L’Amour.
Almost two years later, she has to take three types of pain relief medicine.
Now, the 40-year-old former dancer and fitness instructor will shell out tens of thousands of dollars for life-changing surgery in the United States for a rare condition, known as sliding rib syndrome.
Rib slipping syndrome occurs when the cartilage in a person’s lower ribs slides and moves, causing pain in the chest or upper abdomen.
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ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Jayne L’Amour spent more than a year trying to get a diagnosis for her pain.
It’s so rare that it took L’Amour a year and a half to get a diagnosis.
“They did a lot of tests, scans, X-rays and all that, they all came back normal,” he said.
It wasn’t until he went to a hip specialist that he received a diagnosis.
Meanwhile, he has not been able to do the job he loves.
“Before this I was a dancer, I used to be in shows and teach dance, give fitness classes, I used to do martial arts.
“Now I can’t do anything, I can’t even sit for long,” he said.
The Lower Hutt woman is heading to the United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia, for surgery, and will spend a month in the states. Options in New Zealand include rib removal, but a pioneering surgeon in the US has found a way to stabilize them.
And even a global pandemic won’t stop it.
Productions supplied / Tin Cat
Lauren and Hamish Golding are preparing to bring their 4-year-old daughter Lydia to the United States for surgery to lengthen her leg.
“I can’t wait until the coronavirus crisis is over because it could be a long time and I can’t wait that long,” he said.
“It is getting unbearable.”
L’Amour is raising money for travel and surgery through Givelittle, as well as organizing a night of performance.
But he also wants to raise awareness about the rare disease.
“I can see how easy it would be for people to get into a depression hole because of this,” he said.
After surgery, the mother of three was eager to pick up her children, walk and dance again.
She plans to fly to the United States on October 13 for surgery.
